


Make It Rain

by Alexthefangirl77



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Chill guys no one dies... yet, Drawing, F/M, Flash is always an asshole but more so in this story, Original Character is a bitch sometimes, Peter is a smart cookie, Peter is cute as hell, SUBPLOTS GALORE, School suckkkkks, Singing, So much blush and teenage awkward, There is a lot of fighting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 23:22:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13468767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alexthefangirl77/pseuds/Alexthefangirl77
Summary: Marisa de Costello is new at Midtown High. She used to think she knew the Flash Thompson she grew up with, but when she meets Peter Parker, her life takes a turn. A turn away from Flash, away from her old life.





	1. A Nuevo Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> A tiny fanfic XD that I wrote a while ago. Still in progress and growing each day, actually. So bear with me guys.

It’s been a long time. A long, long time. Three whole years since he moved, and four months before he moved that he stopped talking to me. I had no idea why. I guess he just became “too cool” for me. Anyways, my family and I decided to move to Queens, the same city Eugene had gone to. I was planning on surprising him, considering the fact that we still kept in touch a little, and that he told me his address if ever I wanted to visit. But I thought better of it, and called him. The phone rang three times before someone answered. _“Hello?”_  
I smiled. It had been awhile since I’ve heard his voice. “Heyo, it’s me.” _“Mari???”_ “Yeah, hey.” _“What are you… calling for?”_ “I’m paying you a surprise visit.” I peered out the window at the huuuuge mansion unfolding in the horizon. I gaped. “That’s your house? You said it was a house, not a castle!” _“You’re at my house? What the… Mari, you can’t just show up here!”_ “Oops.” I grinned into the receiver, eyes glued to the front gate we were waiting at. _“Ohmygod Mari. You’re really special, you know that?”_ “Awwww, thank you. You always knew just what to say, Gene.” _“Yeah okay. I’ll see you inside, I guess.”_ “Ohhh yeaaa.” We drove up to the main wing, the front door standing majestically and welcomingly before us. Excited beyond belief, I stepped out of the car and sprinted up the marble steps. I was clad in black heeled army boots, which made climbing stairs at near-lightspeed that much harder. Upon arriving at the door, I knocked energetically, once, twice, and three times. The door then swung open.  
Geez. He looked different. Gone was his extra baby fat and his chubby cheeks. I used to be taller than him, but evidently not anymore. I exhaled, and astonishment slapped me across the face, and hard. “You look…” I breathed. He peered at me expectantly. “What? I look what?” I cleared my throat. “Diff-different, um, you look super different.” I stuttered. “Yeah, you too.” That trademark smirk of his, that I used to find oh so adorable, slid onto his face. And it was more like ‘uber hot’ and less ‘baby cute’. I crossed my arms. “Well? Are you going to quit staring at me and let me in?” He glances down at the floor, then his gaze travels up my body, inspecting me for the first time in years. I had changed. I had gown at least four inches, and I lost about fifteen pounds. I had been working out, to be honest. My chest now filled out my shirts, and I had a subtle trace of hips. I could see why he was eyeing me like that. Eugene stepped aside and ushered me into the room. A delicate glass chandelier hung from the ceiling, and a spiral staircase stood majestically to the left. The entranceway was painted in a cool grey color, the color of light storm clouds. I marveled at the size of this one room. I turned on my heel. “Are all the rooms in the house this big?” I asked. He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Mari, it’s a mansion. It’s supposed to be.” “Cooooooool!” I unlaced my boots and tossed them onto the shoe rack. “Wow.” I breathed. It was glorious. Had he been living here this whole time? He never described his house, really. So I had no idea what to expect.   
Back up in his room, as big as the entrance, maybe even bigger, we talked for hours and hours. We just finished talking about the “New Orleans Guy,” a man that came into the store I worked at flat-out drunk and smelling of cigarettes, an old inside joke that Eugene and I had, when our parents came knocking on the door. I was snorting with laughter as it flung open. “Marisa, it’s time to go.” “Awww, okay.” I sprung up from the bed. Eugene stood on the other side of the room, and gave me a tiny smile. “Bye.” “See you.” I went over and wrapped him in a hug. He tensed for a second, then returned the embrace.


	2. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marisa decides over whats good for her and what she wants for herself. And it's not easy.

Two weeks later  
I was sitting on the bed, drawing happily, and I heard Eugene chuckle. I peered up at him, stray hair falling over my face. “What?” My eyes were met by a phone camera. “Are you recording me?” “No.” Then what are you doing?” “You’re on my live.” “Oh okay.” I gave a goofy grin, scrunching my eyes shut and sticking my tongue out in the corner of my mouth. I went back to sketching. “What are you drawing?” Eugene asked. “Nothing.” I felt a warmth on my shoulder. He was resting his chin in the crook of my neck, filming past my head onto my sketchbook. “Get outta here!” I snorted, sticking my hand in his face and pushing his forehead away. “That’s rude y’know.” “I don’t care.” I said in a singsong voice. I looked back at him. “Lemme see.” I crawled up to where he was propped up against the headboard. He turned the camera to face us, and comments kept scrolling in in the bottom left hand corner of the screen. I squinted at them, and tried to read them, which proved hard considering how fast they got sent in. I managed to read out a few questions. “Where are you from?” I read aloud. “Well, to answer your question, I am from Fortaleza, Brazil. I moved here when I was eight months old.” Some of the comments came in. One read ‘cool’. I snorted. “No, actually, it wasn’t cool, it was more like one-fifty degrees back there.” I laughed. Resting my cheek on his shoulder, I poked his face with my free hand. The other was holding a pencil. “Where are you going tomorrow?” I asked, ignoring the fact that we were on live. “Nowhere, why?” I huffed. “You told me that I wasn’t allowed to come over tomorrow cause you wouldn’t be here.” He grinned mischievously and raised his eyebrows. “I lied.” “Really?” I drawled, looking him directly in the eye with a blank look on my face, “Do tell.” “Well, I was going to over to a friend’s house but they cancelled on me.” I gasped and burst out in laughter. I paused for a second to breathe, then giggled: ”You have friends? Hahahaha! I’m dying!” I clutched my chest dramatically, taking a second to inhale, then I stopped talking. “Rude.” He shoved my arm away and grinned. A voice called from downstairs, muffled by the door. I vaguely heard something to the lines of ‘come eat’ and ‘supper’s ready’. So we shut of his phone, treaded down the stairs, and inhaled the smell of pasta sauce that wafted through the air. We conversed pleasantly throughout dinner, his parents bringing up the topic of where I’m going to go to school. I said I had no idea. But back in the den, Eugene confronted me on it.   
“So, dearest Mari, at what academy will you be pursuing your education?” he questioned, collapsing onto the plush couch lazily. I sat next to him, and pondered. “Maybe the school you go to. Although it’s a long way from my house. But that’s not a problem, really, I’ll be 17 in May and I’m hoping to get my G2. Mom said she’d get me a car if my first semester grades are good. Until then, I can take the bus.” He looked at me weirdly. “Or, I could just drive you.” I waved my hand. “Meh. I don’t think my mom would like that. You’re a new driver, and you know how paranoid she can be…” “Yeah. True. But that doesn’t matter, I’m a wonderful driver.” He gave me a simpering smile, and reached for the TV remote. I continued, ignoring his last comment. “And anyways, Mom would prefer if I would go to this fancy prep school. Apparently it has a really good art program I’d ‘excel’ at.” I made finger quotes in the air, rolling my eyes. “Wait, wouldn’t that mean you would live at a dormitory? Like, in the actual school?” “Naw. It’s about two miles from my house. They said they’d provide transportation.” “Oh, so you’ve already made plans to go there?” I froze, and turned to face him. “No, but my mom did. I honestly don’t want to go there… Y’know, there are so many downsides-” Eugene cut me off, and pointed a finger at me, smirking. “The snobs..” he said. I sighed and went on. “The snobs, yes, and the fact that classes are separated according to gender, and-” “So does that mean you won’t see any boys?” “Not during classes. Only in extracurricular activities, I guess.” “Damn. That sucks.” I nodded. Taking a blanket off the side of the couch, I curled up into a ball in the corner of the sofa, and mumbled to myself. “Stupid fancy snob school.”   
We watched movies all through the evening, and we just talked; talked about school, friends- university, even- and eventually we fell asleep. Eugene and I were woken up by his mother. She was a nice lady, respectable, and kind. She was quiet, and quite pretty. She tapped us on the shoulder, drawing us from our light slumber. I headed home, thinking hard about how I would convince my parents to let me go to public school.


	3. We're Living In A Lame Teenage rom-com

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marisa made her choice, and it's a damn good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a tiny one, but it's mostly a romantic scene. But chill, I don't write sin. XD

2 Days before the start of school  
The marina was so pretty this time of year. It was the end of the summer, and the weather was cooling down, ever-so-slightly. We walked down the stone woven path, silently spooning ice cream into our mouths. “So. Is the matter of which school you’re going to resolved?” he asked, gazing out at the crystalline water. “Meh. I think I’m going Midtown.” I said, lifting my spoon and taking a bite of the caramel goodness before me. “Cool.” We both went silent, Eugene and I. I took a breath, and just as I was about to speak up, he opened his mouth. We glanced at each other, and burst out laughing. “God. This is like a teenage movie.” I shook my head, staring at my dessert. “Oh yeah, and what character am I?” Eugene snorted, poking at his sundae. “You’re the nerd, obviously.” “Ha. Really? And you’re what; the weird goth outcast?” I choked on my ice cream, I had laughed so hard. “No, you dumbass, I’m the underestimated popular side-bitch.” “Sure.” He smirked at me, continuing; “Lemme guess, the popular side-bitch gets the hot jock, huh?” I let out a snicker, gently nudging his shoulder with my own. “Nope. Usually she gets the much loved protagonist.” “And which one would that be?” My face reddened lightly, peppering my cheeks with a becoming pink tinge. “I dunno. Usually…” I could see him looking at me in the corner of my vision. I lifted my eyes to met his. “Usually what?” he questioned in a quiet voice. “Usually she gets the nerd.” I murmured. I hadn’t realized we had stopped. “Really?” He was staring at my lips. “Yeah.” I whispered, leaning into him. His arms snaked around my waist, pulling my body into his own. I reached up and rested my hands on the back of his neck. My lips pressed into his. At first it was sloppy, considering I had never really done this before, but it got heated, fast. I pulled away, only for a moment to breathe, then rested my forehead on Eugene’s, smiling like an idiot. My heart was racing. He grabbed my hand, with such insistence you’d think his life depended on it. We strolled back to his car. A huge grin was plastered on my face.


	4. "Parker Peter- I mean, Peter, Peter Parker"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School is a bitch. And it's also the perfect place to humiliate yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where it gets interesting, if you're still following. I dive a little into point of view changes. You'll see that I tinker in Marisa's and Peter's point of view, each alternating over time. This is set in the school, on the first day.

The morning of September 2nd  
The music was loud, and the breeze rippled through my hair, splaying it back behind me. Bad things by Machine Kelly was thrumming through the speakers. I had my phone out, and I was on my live, recording every moment. Eugene and I had stopped by a Dunkin Donuts so I could get my usual morning iced latte. Taking a sip, I started singing along to the familiar melody. “Am I outta my head, am I out of my mind, if you only knew the bad things I like, don't think that I can explain it what can I say, it's complicated, don't matter what you say, don't matter what you do, I only wanna do bad things to you…” My voice rang out clear and strong, blending with the tune and carrying away in the wind. Eugene gazed at me, and shook his head. A smirk played at the corner of his lips, and I grinned cheekily at him. As we pulled up to the school, I straightened out my short graphic tee, and opened up the selfie camera on my phone. I wiped underneath my bottom lashes, where my mascara had leaked slightly. I almost jabbed myself in the eye. I scowled at my reflection, and flattened out my wind-blown hair. Eugene peered at me, a confused and exasperated look on his face. “You look fine. You don’t need to do all that.” I rolled my smudged eyes at him, and pointed an urgent finger to my head. “See this? I look like I have an afro.” I whined, pouting and going back to finger-combing my ‘fro. “No you don’t.” He nudged me playfully in the arm, giving me that signature grin that made me melt. With a small simpering smile, I poked my tongue out at him, and grabbed my bag. The school was big. Much larger than the one back in my hometown. Busy teenagers, every size and shape rushed in and out of the building like bees out of a beehive. Before opening the door of the teal convertible, I leaned over the gearstick and gave him a peck on the lips. I hopped out of the car, and threw my school bag over my shoulder. I took out my headphones and wrapped them around my neck. I switched on my music, and it blasted out the small speakers. While waiting for Eugene to gather his stuff, I nodded my head to the beat, getting lost in the vibration of the song. When the refrain came on, I swung my head, waving my hips and mouthed the words. I did a little dance, and he stared at me. I winked at his blushing face, hopping up onto the curb. “You coming?” I called over my shoulder. All I got in reply was a snort.   
Walking into the school. I noticed a bunch of flyers for clubs and extracurriculars. An art club poster caught my eye, and my feet stopped as I studied it. A strong hand rested on my arm, tugging me gently but firmly away. “We’re gonna be late, let’s go.” Eugene said, while simultaneously greeting people I’d never seen before. He took me to my assigned locker and waited patiently while I unloaded my stuff and got ready for my first class.   
Sliding into a chair beside Eugene, my eyes are met with his. “So, whatcha think?” I looked at him with a confused expression. “What do I think about what?” “The school, dummy.” He prodded me in the arm with the eraser end of his pencil. I rolled my eyes, and inhaled. “It’s overwhelming.” “Why?” he asked. I mimicked him. “Why? Because, doofus, it’s fricken huge, that’s why. This is 10 times my old- our old school.” “Yeah. You get used to it, honestly.” He turned to look behind him as someone tapped him on the shoulder. “Yeah, you seem to have gotten used to it,..” I muttered to myself. He spun in his chair and faced me, with a blank look. “What?” He asked. _Good, he didn’t hear me._ The teacher’s voice, shrill and imperious, rang out, interrupting my thoughts. “Welcome, class, to your junior year. My name is Mrs Burnsben, and I will be your physics teacher. I’m sure you all know each other, as I see many familiar faces.” She leaned against the desk behind her, hands at her sides clutching the lip of the table. “This year we have a new student. Would you like to introduce yourself?” My sketching pencil froze in mid air, a half drawn face laying on the paper before me, waiting to be finished. A blush covered my cheeks as I stood up, straightening my clothes out. “Hi, I’m Marisa De Costello.” I hastily sat down, grasping my pencil once again, letting my hair fall around my face. I was content to be left alone, thank you. 

Peter’s p.o.v

The night before the first day of school, and I was exhausted, and chasing some other new villain around the city. I was honestly so sick of this chase. But it was my job, and I never quit. I swung around the rooftops, my eye trained on this guy. He was really fast and I was falling behind. An incoming call flashed in the corner of my vision. “Crap.” I rolled my eyes, and sighed loudly. It was Aunt May. She was probably worried sick about me. Ever since she found out, she had been calling up during missions, texting me the second I went out, and was always babying me as if I couldn’t take care of myself. I answered the call, just about done with everything and about to give up. “Hello?” “Peter, where are you right now?” I sighed and stopped, peering around my surroundings. “I’m a block away from home, May.” “Well, it’s the first day of school tomorrow, and you’re going to be dead tired by the time you get home from all this. Let's go, wrap it up.” I could hear the urgency in her voice, but I was getting frustrated; she made it sound like what I was doing was a little game. “Karen, put a tracer on him.” I told my A.I. I’d have to deal with this guy later. I didn’t have time to balance all this. It was hard being a teenager, and a superhero in my spare time. really, really hard.   
My alarm sounded shrilly the next morning, bringing me out of my haze of a dream. The dream actually obliterated as soon as I opened my eyes to the bright and cheery room. I groaned, rubbing my eyes, and I sat up. Bang! My head collided with the bottom frame of the top bunk, and immediately my hand flew to the back of my skull. “Dammit!” I cried. It didn’t really hurt that bad, considering that my powers made the pain almost imperceptible, it was mostly just the shock and surprise. The door flew open, and there stood May, a concerned look on her face. “Get up, will ya?” She smiled, and studied my face. “You really were out late last night. weren’t you?” My mind flashed back to the chase. I hadn’t gone home, like May asked, only because the guy had a friend that came along, and they were going to kill a hostage if I didn’t intervene. So I made it home around two in the morning. Wow. Five hours of sleep doesn’t do me any good. I nodded slowly, careful to avoid the metal posts above me, and I slid out of bed. Crap. I had a meeting with Tony Stark this afternoon. At least I got to get off school early. May clicked the door shut, and I hurriedly threw on a sweatshirt that read “I only make science puns periodically” and jumped into a pair of jeans. I sprinted out the door, grabbing the toast Aunt May had made for me and throwing my bag over my shoulder.  
The ride on the metro was boring, and people continuously bumped into me, mumbling apologies as they reared and wrapped their hands on the handles hanging from the roof. Crap. Crap. I was going to be late. Joy. I took out my phone to shoot a text to Ned. I glimpsed my reflection in the darkened screen. Wow. I looked like a zombie. I unlocked my phone and opened my messages. Okay, so it seemed Ned already had the idea to reach me. Three texts, all along the lines of ‘dude, where are you’ popped up. I swiped out a quick reply on the keypad. Shoving the cracked device in my back pocket, i sighed. It was almost nine-o'clock. And I was officially ten minutes late on my first day of junior year.

Marisa’s p.o.v  
About fifteen minutes into the lesson, the door flings open, and a boy, clad in a sweatshirt and rumpled jeans came in. His face was red, as if he’d been running, and freckles stuck out among the pink like a constellation. His hair was half assedly swept off to one side. Wow, okay. He was kind of cute. I slapped myself mentally. _You have a boyfriend you moron._ I scolded myself. He handed a late slip to our teacher, walking down the aisle head down and eyes trained on the floor, before sitting in the seat behind mine. I didn’t notice before, but Eugene was rolling his eyes when he had walked by us. I noticed though, when he mumbled under his breath. “I was really hoping he wouldn't show up.” He muttered. I raised my eyebrows and leaned down to where he was scribbling on a piece on lined paper with his head on the desk. “What?” I whispered. His eyes met mine and he sighed. “Never mind, I’ll tell you later.” he replied, looking back down at his page. I stared at him in confusion as I went back to listening to what assignments we were to do today. Mrs Burnsben piped up. “Alrighty, we will start off this year with a project.” Half the class groaned while the other cheered. I was one of the more positive reactions. “You will be paired up for this assignment.” Groups of girls squealed as if they were in elementary school, linking arms and looking front. “And no, you are not choosing your own partners.” Just about everybody protested. “I have all your names on these slips of papers. You will be split into 2 groups, and one of the groups will each choose one, and that will be your partner and desk-mate for the week of the project. Got it?” I nodded eagerly. I adored projects. It was my chance to show what I could really do. The students all lined up, the pickers on one side of the class, the pickees on the other. I grinned at Eugene, who scowled in reply. Apparently he really didn’t like school. He wasn’t lying. He used to be the most enthusiastic and smart person back at our old school. I have no idea what changed him. Pressure, popularity, maybe? When the box got to me, I reached in and plucked out a slip of paper. I read it. Peter. I had no idea who that was. I had honestly no idea who anyone here was. The teacher looked at me blankly. realization slapped me across the face. “Oh! Right. I held the paper in front of me, and read it out loud. “Peter. You guys’ll have to help me, I have no idea who that is.” I said sheepishly, folding my hands behind my back and rocking on my heels. The boy who was late raised his hand shyly. “Me, uh, that’s me.” He stuttered. Oh. Okay. I walked over to him. He had about an inch of height on me. “Hey.” I said softly, eyes not leaving the teacher’s face. “Hey.” He said back. “I’m Marisa.” “Oh, uh, cool name. I’m Parke-I mean Peter, Peter Parker.” A laugh escaped my throat. I covered my mouth with my hand. “Okay.” The silence definitely felt as awkward as it looked.   
The second we were assigned seats, we shuffled over to our table, bags in hand. I grabbed the chair closest to the wall, and he did the same. I laughed nervously and said: “Take it, it’s fine.” “No, no it’s okay. I’m fine sitting in the aisle.” He smiled. “Oh okay.” From across the room, my boyfriend was making threatening glances towards Peter. I made a motion for him to cut it out. As if I would ever do that to him. Even if my partner was cute. I wouldn’t.   
The third class I had in the day was Spanish class. I was good at Spanish, considering it was my second language. First it was English, then, Spanish, then Portuguese. I was learning French, but I wasn’t too good at it. So I would likely excel at this class. I walked into the crowded room, scoping out for a seat. I found one next to some girls I had seen in Physics.   
We had the task of identifying the words written on the board to see how much of the language we knew. I aced it, surprisingly tied with Peter. A couple of transfer students from Mexico did just as well as I, and Eugene was runner-up. Peter, my Physics lab partner, was shockingly fluent in the tongue. It was weird. Where did he learn how to speak with such precision? Anyways, time passed really quickly in that class. Before I knew it, the metallic bell signaling the end of class rung through the air, bringing me out of my daydream. I had a date tomorrow night, and I was thinking about what I should wear, like the vapid teenage girl I was. I was thinking my burgundy dress, but that was really short. And I didn’t want to look sexy, only hot. And I didn’t want to look super formal. So dresses were out. But maybe I could get away with a skirt. Not a mini, but maybe the nice black one with a tank-top and a black denim cropped jacket. I mentally decided that that was my choice as I stalked out of the classroom. I felt a hand rest on my shoulder. My face split out into a grin. “Hello.” I said, as he stepped in front of me, walking backwards to keep up. “So. “ He asked, continuing in a hushed voice, “whatcha doing tonight?” I snorted, and waved him away. “I have math homework, doofus. And I can’t make plans, I have to look after my dogs tonight.” “Aw dang. Okay. Well, that’s fine. They’ll be another one on Friday…” I cocked my head to the side. My books slid in my hands, and I propped them up on my hip as I spun the combination on my lock. “Another what on Friday?” “There’s a party tonight at Lindsay’s house, and I’m hosting one Friday. It’s our junior year, so we’re celebrating being alive for this long.” He laughed, smirking. I saw him in the corner of my eye and thoughts raced through my mind. _A party. I’ve never been to one. And my parents wouldn’t let me either way. But maybe if I made something up…_ I could go on Friday, my parents are gone for a meeting of sorts… “I’ll be there on Friday, then.” I said, with a cocky smile. I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively, and he squinted at me. “Are your parents gonna let you?” “They don’t need to know.” I declared nonchalantly, slamming my locker behind me. I glimpsed a sprinting figure out of the corner of my eye. It was Peter, running as if his life depended on it. Was he on the track team? He’d be great at it, with all the running he does. Eugene turned his back to me and I saw something fall. A pair of headphones were splayed in the middle of the hall, threatened to be crushed by hurriesome feet. I went over and scooped them up. They were my partner’s. I rushed out the entrance, calling after him.


	5. Stark's Genius Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter, or rather, his alter-ego, is threatened to be pulled off the streets if he doesn't pull through with a certain commitment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wait for the angst. I'm holding off till you guys can handle it. I also love timeskips so please, chill if it bothers you. :D

Peter’s p.o.v  
After Spanish class, which was the second last class of the day, I sprinted through the busy hallways. and out the door. Was it just me, or was someone yelling my name? “Peter! Hey, Peter wait!” I skidded to a halt, turning on my heel. Marisa was sprinting full speed towards me, holding something in an outstretched hand. She slowed to a jog, and a smile crept onto her face as she reached me. Shit, I thought. She’s really pretty. Wow, okay, no, she’s hot, but still. Wow. I was staring at her face, when she shook her hand. She was holding-oh shit, those were mine… I took the headphones from her. “Thanks…” “Yeah.” She scratched the back of her neck, and I pointed to the field. “I uh, I need to go now…” She widened her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, yeah okay. Cool, uh, bye.” She waved as I ran backwards, still staring at her face. I turned, but looked over my shoulder at her. She was still smiling. Wow.  
Arrived at Mr. Stark’s office, I fell into the plush chairs in the waiting room. I took out my phone, sending a text the Aunt May that I was here safely. Mr. Stark poked his head out the office door. “What are you waiting for? Easter? The door’s open, kid.” My head popped up and I grabbed my stuff and went into his room. It was the most luxurious office I had ever seen. It had its own bathroom. Wow. It was huuuuge. I sat primly in the furthest seat from his desk. He collapsed onto the rolling chair and propped his feet on the table. He was studying me through fancy sunglasses. “So? How’s school? How’s life? I don’t have all day, here.” “Oh, um, yeah, school’s good, all good. Yeah. So, good, it’s all good.” “How’s the spiderling thing going?” “Um… Yeah, I’m fine, it’s good. Thanks for the suit upgrade, by the way.” “Yeah, kid. That’s my job. Keeping you safe.” He had a pen in his hand, and was fiddling with it. He dropped his feet off the desk and smirked. “How’s that Aunt May of yours?” My eyes widened and I looked at my feet. “She’s fine, yeah, she’s good.” “Hm.” Was the only response I got. I was kind of wondering why I was here. “Listen, kid, I have a reason I brought you here. Y’know the Avengers, right?” I nodded, he continued. “Well, as rich and powerful as I am, I don’t call the shots. The captain does. And he told me, that without proper training, we’d have to revoke your uniform and pull you off the streets, bla bla and all that. So, I’m putting you in a training program that all the newbie agents go through. Five days a week, every week.” My head shot up, and my eyes met his. “I, uh, I don’t mean to insult you, but I don’t have time for that. I have-” “I don’t care what you have. I’m trying to be nice here, but you don’t seem to get it. If you want to stay out of juvie, you’re going into this program.” My mouth snapped shut. I opened it for a second, and squeaked. “Juvie…?” “Yeah, pretty tough shit. Alright, are you in?” He didn’t even wait for my answer, and he got up and put a hand on my shoulder. “Good, let’s get you introduced to your instructor.” He motioned for me to get up, and I followed him warily into another room. This place has so many rooms, I thought. I see a familiar head of red hair. She turned her face, and I gulped. Oh lord. I was going to be trained by a real assassin. She got up from her spot on the white suede couch. “Listen,” she said, “I will try my best not to interfere with your other life, considering academics come first, but this is a big commitment, and I need to know if you’re able to commit.” I nodded, a confused and terrified look plastered across my face. “Okay then. Let’s get started, shall we?”  
The next day

Marisa’s p.o.v  
I trudged lazily into the school. I was up all night, doing my share of the project, and some math homework on the phone with Eugene. I had fallen asleep with my math book sprawled across my legs, and when I woke up, a pencil was viciously stabbing me in the shoulder. I had to find my own way to school this morning, because my mom wasn’t okay with me stealing a ride with my boyfriend yesterday. I took the metro. It was a long ride, and by the time it was over, I was dozing in my seat. Thank god the pregnant lady sitting next to me woke me up at my stop. My locker squealed open, and I cringed. I needed to oil those hinges, wow. I jammed my books into the tiny metal casier, and slided my bag onto my back. I slammed my locker shut, and spun on my heel, to meet the smiling face of Eugene. “Yes, good morning.” The grin slipped from his face. “What’s up?” “I’m super exhausted, what do you think?” I was being super grouchy, but I didn’t care. At all. “Wow, okay, pissy today, aren’t you?” “Yeah.” I mumbled. My head was pounding most likely from lack of sleep and hydration. “How did you sleep?” he asked jokingly. I draped a hand across my face and groaned. “Shitty.” I rubbed my knuckles in my eyes, trying to keep them open. I nearly nodded off just standing there. I reached my arms out and received a warm hug in return. I nuzzled my face into his neck, and whined. “I hate schoooooooool…” But it was muffled by his shirt, so it sounded more like “Ayhayoooooool”. I backed up, my arms still flung around his shoulder. I looked into his eyes and pouted. “Why did you keep me up so laaaaaaate?” I sounded like a child, but I didn’t care. He kissed my forehead, and ignored me. I untangled with him, and caught someone’s eye. Peter. He broke my gaze, and strode on, vision trained on his shoes. I gave Eugene a peck on the lips before grabbing my books and heading to class. 

Peter’s p.o.v  
Of course, of-fricken-course, Flash is dating her. She’s beautiful, mysterious, and smart, and of course, she’d choose him. Does she not know who he is? And what he’s done? Or how much of an asshole he really is? I was jealous. Jealous, no, more like infuriated. Why are all the attractive people out of reach? I was aching everywhere from my training session last night, and I was exhausted. Maybe I really needed these sessions if I’m this out of practice. I just walked. I just walked away, leaving that behind. It was a stupid crush. And those never really lasted. So I was moving on. I’ve known her for one day, and I was already infatuated with her. What was wrong with me? I stuck my earbuds in my ears and blasted my music, blocking out the noise of the crowded hallway. I sang along mentally to all the lyrics. Every beat matched my steps. I was so, so tired. So so done. I didn’t know how long I could keep this up. Balancing my two lives was harder than I made it look, as May said. And I made it look like I wasn’t cracking under the pressure.


	6. Carry Your Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flash isn't all he's cracked up to be. He just isn't the same, and Mari doesn't want to have to choose to stay or leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER, MAJOR ANGST

Marisa’s p.o.v

The day was long, to say the least. I was hoping it would end, every second of class. That expression of consciousness that flashed in Peter’s eyes when he stalked past Eugene and I on full PDA was heart-wrenching. I mean, I really shouldn’t care, considering that we had no ties whatsoever. It stuck in my mind like glue. It was like I broke his heart and I wasn’t even aware I held it. Wow. I felt so bad. The things I’ve heard Eugene say to him… Well, I don’t even want to believe that he could be that mean. It was eye-opening. Maybe he’s not who he used to be. Maybe he did change. All the pressure made him different, and I didn’t want to witness the alterations. It was an endless battle with him to leave Peter alone, and to stay quiet when someone insulted him, or even me. The old him was gone. It’s like all I used to love about him had faded. It was like the old him was only a phantom barely hanging on. He was a whole new person now. And I wasn’t a fan at all. All he did was show me off, and I didn’t want to be seen as ‘his’. I was my own person. I had denied it since we got together. I had told myself that I was just crazy. But I’m not. And I despised this new person. He wasn’t my Flash. He wasn’t my Eugene.  
I was getting things ready at my locker, when one of the girls I was familiar with, Cindy, came up to me with a panicked look. I turned to meet her wild eyes, and the sliver of a smile that had lingered from this morning faded. “What? You look terrified!” She pointed towards the door, and squeaked out a reply. “It’s Flash. He’s-he got into a fight.” My eyes widened and I dropped everything. I sprinted outside, and there was a circle of about 30 students standing around two figures. I discerned Eugene’s yellow jacket. He had just gotten out of decathlon practice. I pushed through the people standing in my way, and cried out. “Flash!” I called, trying to get to the inner circle, but the kids with cameras wouldn’t budge. I shoved them aside, exasperated. “Flash!” I yelled. His back was to me, and he ignored me, and threw in another punch. My heart was racing. “Eugene.” I said firmly, desperation in my voice. He turned to me for one second, his face passing from angry, to surprised, to confused, then finally to fear. While he was distracted, the other guy connected a fist with his jawline, sending Eugene flying into my arms, and blood leaked from a now bust lip. The mix shock and anger on my face was probably enough to send the guy running, but it didn’t. Eugene got up on unsteady feet, and I sauntered up to this guy, who was at least a half a foot taller than me. He smiled, and wiped his mouth, his eyes full of fire, and borderline insanity. “So now Flash’s little whore is here to protect him?” He mocked, looking down at me. My temper flared, and I swear I could feel rage pouring out of every pore in my body. My instant reaction was to burst into tears, but I thought better of it, and my instinct told me to hit. And to hit hard. My knuckles cracked when they hit his nose, and a wave of pain accompanied. To both of us. Blood sprayed everywhere. I held my fist, still shaking, and spat at his feet. He was nursing his nose, and a sob escaped his throat. “Bitch!” He spat. Crimson liquid trickled out the side of his mouth and down his chin. “Next time, it won’t be just your nose I’ll break.” I hissed through clenched teeth. My knuckles were already purple and swollen. His nose was worse, though, and that quenched my animosity. Only for a moment, then it came back, fierce. “And if you EVER, EVER touch him again, I’m gonna hurt you so bad that not even a bag of ice and a good cry can fix it.” I advanced, and stared into his eyes. “Got it, asshole?” He nodded in defeat, but sneered all the same. I grinned innocently, my eyes saying all that needed to be said. He read them, and walked backwards, hands up as if he were surrendering. I spun violently on my heel, and Eugene justs sat there and stared at my hand. It was all lumpy and discolored. I grabbed his arm with my good hand, and pried him away from his friends. He sat down with a groan when we reached his car. “So.” I said smiling sarcastically. “Wanna tell me what that was about?” He covered his face with his hands, rubbing his eyes. He sighed and kept his eyes front. “I don’t want to talk about it.” “I don’t give a shit if you don’t want to talk about it. Spill.” He gave me a small ‘hm’ and sat up properly. He started the car. I rolled my eyes, frustrated beyond belief. I reached over, and turned the keys, swiftly taking them out of the ignition and shoving them in my back pocket. He glared at me. I could see a ghost of a bruise lingering on his cheekbone. “Why did you start that?” I asked briskly. He almost pouted as he crossed his arms. “He said something I didn’t like.” I gave him a stupid look. “Yeah, and what did he say? Huh?” “Something I didn’t like.” I fixed my gaze on him. “Go on.” He turned in his seat to face me. “He said something about you.” “Oh, okay, and what was that?” Shame crossed his face but he kept his mouth shut. I sighed, and silently pleaded with him. “LIsten-” “I don’t want a lecture.” he cut me off. I smacked his arm, and scorned him. “LIS-ten. A lot of people in your life are gonna say plenty of things you don't like. And one day, you’re gonna mess with the wrong person, Gene,-” “Don’t call me that.” “What?” “Don’t.” He said, jaw clamped shut. My eyes welled up. He wasn’t the same. He would never be again. I was sick of this. I tried. I tried so hard to get him back, but all I got was a glimmer of what we used to have. I fished the keys out of my pocket, and threw them onto his lap. I opened the car door, and looked over my shoulder one last time. “I’m done.” I said softly, getting up. He was gone. The friend I used to have had vanished, and in its place was this- this asshole I didn’t recognize. I stalked back into the school, gathering my stuff and I started walking. I let the tears fall. For the first time in years, I didn’t regret leaving him at all. I was heading to my house, which really didn’t feel like familiar anymore. I began walking home. Or wherever home was. 

Peter’s p.o.v  
On Wednesday, the talk of the school was the fight that had happened between Flash and another guy. No one knew why, but apparently Flash threw the first punch. Why would he start something? He never started anything violent. It was weird. Anyways, stepping into class, chatter came from all directions. I looked around. Marisa wasn’t here, and we had to make the cover for our project. Dammit. Flash glared at me with a vengeance when I trudged past him. He always gave me that death glare, but today it was more vicious than usual. I had a huge bruise on the side of my hip from falling off the ceiling during training. It throbbed when I sat down, and I flinched. I almost gasped, but I held it in.   
I was halfway through typing up our lab when Marisa came in, a red late slip in a wrapped up hand. It was really swollen, and the skin that peeked out of the bandages was all blue and mauve. She handed the slip to the teacher, and a pained look crossed her face when she brought her hand back down to her side. She shuffled wordlessly to our workstation before plopping down in the plastic chairs next to me. “Hey.” I greeted. “Hm.” Was her only response. She rubbed at her eyes and groaned. Flash peered over his partner’s head and crossed gazes with Marisa. Marisa scowled, and rolled her eyes. I cleared my throat. “What… what happened to your hand?” I whispered. “I hit someone.” She said nonchalantly, a hint of defiance playing in her eyes like sparks in a fire. “Who did you hit?” I asked, surprised. “An asshole.” I was curious, but I didn’t pry. Maybe it had to do with the fight that went down. Most likely. But why was she so mad with Flash? What happened between them? In my mind, I was genuinely hoping that she ended things. She would be so much better off. It was mean, really, to want someone to be unhappy, even if it was my enemy. He didn’t deserve her, no matter what he did to try to be a good person. He just wasn’t.  
During lunch, I decided to go work outside. My phone was silent, stomach full, and boredom was at an all time high. Maybe fresh air would help a little. I walked slowly along the football field with my laptop, kicking a stray softball the rested along the border of the grass, abandoned and browned with age and sun. It was a getting a little colder, as the day dragged on, and I wrapped my arms around myself. I was seldom cold, but still. I’d rather not get a cold before decathlon finals. Honestly I wasn’t sure if I’d even have time to go to finals. I had a really busy schedule, and anything could pop up at any moment. I was struggling to balance it all. I was even thinking of dropping out of the team. It was too much of a commitment, and if decathlon ran late, Natasha would always frown on me for being tardy to our sessions. It wasn’t my fault that the rest of the team was behind and needed a rehearsal. I begged to leave, but they said I had to stay, because I had been late and absent for too many practices already. I had sat down on the bleachers, resting my back against the backboard. My hands continued their little dance across the lettered keys. My music that I had in my left ear stopped, and a new song started. I mouthed along to the words, and I heard a chuckle off to the side. My gaze left my computer screen only to meet Marisa’s eyes. Were they always that green? Wow. They’re gorgeous. I mumbled something like ‘what’ or ‘hmm’. She smirked at me, her emerald eyes glinting in the sunlight. “I can hear your music.” She said in a stage whisper. “Oh, oh okay.” I smiled, shaking my head and turning the volume down. She nodded towards my phone. “That's a good song.” She said, and mouthed the words along with the music. She grabbed the second earbud, holding it up and staring at me with a questioning expression. “May I?” she asked. I nodded and she stuck it in her ear. She began to tap her fingers on her lap the beat. I rolled my eyes sarcastically. “You having a drum solo over there?” She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. “No.” She grinned. I was working on the lab, and Marisa leaned closer to me to check out how far I’d gotten. She crouched so close I could smell her shampoo. It smelled like grapefruit. And it smelled really, really good. I resisted taking a deep breath. I could feel her warmth on my shoulder, and I got anxious. My heart was racing as she read through the crook of my neck. She squinted at the screen, then pulled away, nodding in approval. “Nice job, smartie pants.” She beamed at me. The tune Torches by X Ambassadors came on. She gasped, and said:”I love this song!” She sang aloud to the lyrics. I was gaping. She was good. Her voice rang out clear, and it sounded beautiful. She swung her head to the rhythm. My eyes were wide, and her singing faded out as she stared at me. “What?” she asked. “Nothing-I mean, you’re-you’re really good.” I babbled. The song died out. _Wow,_ was all I thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry everyone who was shipping Margene. It just wasn't working out. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	7. Make It Rain, Oh Lord, Make It Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marisa may have more of a crush on Peter than she thinks...
> 
> And Peter, on his end, confides in his aunt, and gets sound advice in return. But he isn't sure that he's brave enough for what he wants to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen to 'Make it Rain' the Ed Sheeran cover. It should be the sixth one on the list on Youtube. It sets the mood. _Really well._
> 
> Thanks for sticking around so long. If you enjoyed it, please comment. It always makes a writer's day to see that the readers enjoyed our work.

Marisa’s p.o.v

I was sitting next to Peter. And then a good song came on, so I sang it out. And he just watched. His mouth was hanging open, and his eyes were wide open. At that moment, I really just wanted to kiss him. But I saw Eugene out of the corner of my eye. He was watching me, and I couldn’t do that to him. No matter how badly I really just wanted to burn him, I couldn’t light the fire. It was painful to think about what I had broke off. Then Make it rain came on, and I just died. Why does he have this on his playlist anyways? I couldn’t help it. It was like my throat just had a mind of its own. I grinned cockily, and grabbed his hand. He flushed a deep shade of red, and my smile didn’t fade. I leaned over him and put his laptop down. I pulled him onto his feet, still singing the deep lyrics, my voice climbing over the runs like they were nothing. He seemed to have a surge of courage, and a hand was placed on my hip. I flung my arm over his shoulder, and we swayed to the instrumental. He clasped my hand in his, and pushed me out, spinning me under his arm. He pulled me back into him. I closed my eyes, and my voice had long tapered away. I sang the words soundlessly. We wavered as the song slowed to a stop. I intoned the last line with all my emotion poured into it. Our eyes were locked. The strident bell signaling the end of lunch sounded. I unglued myself from Peter, feeling the piercing temperature seep through my skin when his hands left me. His cheeks bloomed pink once again. He grabbed his computer, and I gave him back his earbud, hating the silence that came with the absence of music. We walked back to the school without a sound. 

That same night, I tossed and turned. I couldn’t get that moment out of my head. The lyrics played over in my mind, like a broken record. _“And let the clouds fill with thunderous applause, and let lightning be the veins, and fill the sky, with all that they can drop, when it's time, to make a change. Make it rain, make it rain down lord. Make it rain, oh, make it rain. Make it rain, make it rain down lord, make it rain, make it rain.”_ The hypnotizing vocals were trapped inside my mind. And I couldn’t get that look out of my thoughts. I was really obsessed, wasn’t I? I played the song on my phone, with my earphones on. I fell asleep to that scene on replay that night.  
“Are your projects ready? Alright, I see four hands. Peter, Marisa, would you like to present today?” I shook my head, but I was joking. I poked Peter in the side and opened my mouth. But when I touched him, he flinched, wincing. “Oh, sorry-I’m sorry. I was just gonna ask if you were ready. Sorry.” He nodded, and got up from his seat.  
We were the only ones who properly did the assignment. Everyone else had formatted it wrong. In P.E class, the class was seated on the bleachers, and we were supposed to to pull-ups today. I was sure that no one would be able to do so. On my right was Cindy, and on my left was Michelle. A hand to my left prodded my arm. I turned to meet M.J’s curious face. “What did you do to Parker?” She asked almost accusingly. “What? I didn’t do anything…” “Yeah, you had to’ve done something for him to stare at you like that all morning.” She pointed at the back of Peter’s head two rows down. “What? No he hasn’t.” I shook my head, raising an eyebrow. “Just watch, you’ll see.” I fixed my eyes on his curls, and he looked over his shoulder. My gaze connected with his and I smirked, turning to Michelle. “You were right.” She rolled her eyes. “Aren’t I always?” I rolled my eyes in turn. “Yeah, Michelle, sure.” “Mhm.” She rested her chin on a hand. She was leaning forward. I studied Peter’s head. By the way he held himself, I could tell that he was bored. I crossed my legs, trying to ignore the fact that he was watching me. We partnered up, but I was placed with Ned for some reason. He held my feet as I did sit-ups effortlessly. “So, what’s up with Peter?” I asked him. Maybe he would be my inside espionner or something. He was best friends with him, so I was hoping he knew something. He looked at me weird. “What do you mean?” I made an undignified noise. “Well, your bff has been staring at me all morning.” Ned squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. “Yeah.” Was all he said to me. I flopped back down onto the mat, stomach shaking and muscles sore. M.J had been partnered up with Peter and I was watching them talk. I tried to read their lips. All I saw was Michelle rolling her eyes, and Peter looking as if he was trying to deny something, blush flooding onto his cheeks slowly. I shook my head, grinning. Ned peered at me questioningly. “Are you spying on them?” My head turned so quickly, I thought I got whiplash. “No!” I protested. Ned smiled, a lopsided, simpering one. “What?” I asked. “Nothing, nothing.” He brushed off my question. I scoffed. I wasn’t obsessed. Not at all. 

Peter’s p.o.v  
I couldn’t stop looking at her. I thought I was being discreet, but I guess not, cause in phys ed, she caught my eye. I hoped I wasn’t creepy looking. I mean, sure, everyone looks at everyone, but not like I was studying her. I was trying to take in every detail of her face. The way her eyes squinched when she smiled, how she had that tiny freckle under her eye that disappeared when she did just that, the way her irises danced when she was about to laugh… I was trying not to be, but I was captivated. It was like a sick love story. And I was trapped. 

Finally the weekend. I pulled a face as I stepped into my apartment. “Aunt May? Are you home?” A bang was heard, and a muffled swear traveled from the kitchen into the living room. I shook my head. She was here, alright. “Peter, hi.” She poked her head out from the doorframe and smiled sheepishly. “What do you think about thai tonight?” She offered. I laughed, and and nodded, still smiling as I walked into my room.  
The food was good, but the only thing missing was her. I don’t know why, but I missed her. It had only been a few hours since we last spoke, yet I just wanted to hear her voice. Her voice. The image of her singing flooded my mind and I picked wordlessly at my dinner. When we danced. It was different then when I danced with Liz. Liz was plain in comparison. The song was haunting, and I still hadn’t gotten it unstuck from my brain. May poked me with a chopstick. “What’s up? Peter, do I need to start making lame larb jokes again?” I snickered, and looked up at her. “No. I’m good.” She scrutinized my face. “I think I’d know if you were sad by now. What’s up? Tell me. You now you can tell me anything.” She said sympathetically. I caved. Sighing, I lowered my fork onto my plate gently. “It’s just me. I have these, like, problems.” “Aw sweetie, about what?” I closed my eyes, massaging my temples. “I don’t think you’d get it. It’s about… It’s about a girl.” Her face wore a blank expression, then she suddenly burst into laughter. “Is that it? I thought it was going to be something way more serious, with that long face you’re wearing.” I stared at her in frustration. “It is serious. You don’t think it’s serious? Let me explain this to you. See, we have this new girl at our school. She comes from Brazil but that’s not important. She apparently used to be best friends with Flash, and was dating him for, like, a week. But just Wednesday, we were doing our project outside on the field, and I dunno…” I lowered my head, and rested it between hands. I took a deep breath, a loud one. “Yeah, you breathe there. I was just gonna say. Whew. So what happened on Wednesday?” “We danced.” “You… danced? Okay, I’m confused. What… exactly happened?” I crossed my arms on the table and buried my face into my sleeves. When I looked up, I continued. “She started singing, and it was a good song, and she just stood up with me and we danced.” My face was hot. It was embarrassing, to be telling her this. “Honey, just ask her out.” I sighed, disheartened. “It’s not that simple!” I argued. “Isn’t it?” She challenged. “Do you know how bad Flash would mess me up if I even just touched her?” I hissed. “Who cares what Flash thinks?” She answered nonchalantly, digging into the plate of shrimp tempura. “I do, and she does. She’s known him for like, all her life. He trumps me, by far.” She just scoffed. “Okay. If you say so.” She took a bite of the deep fried crustacean, and continued. “Aren’t you a ‘hero’? Aren’t you supposed to take risks and ‘be brave’?” She made finger quotes in the air. I facepalmed, and glared at her through my fingers. Gosh, she just didn’t get it. How was I supposed to ask her out anyways? What if she said no? “Swinging from buildings is way easier than talking to girls, Aunt May. Trust me.” I whispered, leaning in so no one else would hear. She snorted and covered her mouth with her hand. I picked my fork back up and shook my head as I stabbed a chunk of teriyaki beef. Maybe I would ask her out. Who knows, maybe she’d say yes. Or, at the very least, she’d reject me, but it’s not like I had anything to lose anyways.


	8. "Consider This Our Unofficial First Date"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter has an abnormal surge in courage, and asks Marisa out on a date. Over Facetime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Much. Fluff. I'm so sorry if I'm giving you cavities. I'm trying to write Peter for the first time in this fanfic, so I'm trying to stay in character as much as I can. And I think I'm doing pre-tay okay. Let me know in the comments. XD

Marisa’s p.o.v

 _Shit. Shit, shit, mierda._ I lost my chemistry homework. Dammit! I thought. Who was I supposed to ask? Cindy was at piano lessons, M.J never answered her phone anyways, Bette wasn’t picking up… And I couldn’t call Eugene. Who… My mind sparked. Peter. Peter was good in chemistry… But I didn’t have his number. I’d have to dm him on Instagram. That could work. I whipped out my phone, and opened the app. I searched through my followers list, and found his name. I clicked on it, hoping that he would answer. I typed up my question and pressed the little paper airplane button and it sent. 

Peter’s p.o.v  
My phone buzzed urgently in my pocket. I shoveled my forkful into my mouth and set my utensils down, taking it out. A notification from Instagram popped up. I didn’t post pictures, so it couldn’t be a like. Weird. I unlocked the screen and went to them app. I chewed slowly, and it opened up to my dms. Marisa had dmed me. I choked a little on my food, and I coughed. “Peter? What is it?” I glanced up at her with wide eyes. I swallowed, and showed her my phone. “She dmed me. She, dmed me.” I checked the message with a fluttering heart. 

_-hey, Peter, I lost my chemistry homework and I need to know what page we had to complete. Could you send it to me?_

I typed my response, double checking it for typos. Aunt May was watching me expectantly. “So? What does it say?” I shook my head, eyes glued to the screen. “Homework.” I mumbled. “Oh, that’s good. So she’s a smart one?” I shrugged, sending the message. 

_-I’m eating out rn, but I’ll send it to you as soon as I get home. ___

___The little dots that signify she was typing appeared, and I waited patiently for her response. Setting my phone down on the table, I began eating again after a few seconds. She was asking me, of all people. She could’ve just texted anyone else, but she dmed me. That had to mean something, right?_  
Back at the apartment, I dug out my homework, long finished and long forgotten. It was clean and precise, for someone as unorganized as me. I spotted a mistake, but realized I was just out of my mind. I had done it right, I was just worrying for nothing. I took a picture of the numbers we had to do out of the book and sent them in a string of attachments to her. She replied with a quick thanks and then stopped texting. May called through the door. “Hey, I’m going out, you want anything?” “No, I’m good.” I said loudly. My bed was unmade, and clothes littered the floor. I guess I’d have to clean a little. Even though I thought it looked fine, Aunt May always complained that my room looked like a pigsty. A couple of mechanical projects were strewn on my desk, preventing me from using my desk for storing space. So I just shoved my textbooks under my bed and sighed. My foot caught on something, and as I was untangling myself from the vicious article of clothing that was eating my toes, my phone buzzed over on its charger by my bed. I stumbled across the room, tripping on my own feet, and falling straight onto my ass. I grumbled and reached for the stupid device. Marisa’s name along with a dm on Insta was displayed on the small screen. I opened the message. ‘I need help,’ Is what it read. I moved my fingers swiftly across the keypad. She messaged quicker than I could reply. _‘Can I just facetime you? it would be easier’_ she wrote. I cursed. I didn’t actually how that worked just yet. I had only just gotten my first smartphone. I said ‘ok’ and waited. She’d call, and I’d answer. I think. She was typing something, and soon after the little bubble popped up. _‘I’m gonna need your #’_ she had written. I scrunched up my face. Right. I knew that.  
We had figured it out twenty minutes later. She had called and I pressed the wrong button, ignoring the call. I had smacked myself for that. When I realized that the little microphone button was the mute button, She was already facepalming. She seemed to be knowledgeable about this thing. I really wasn’t. It was a hassle to learn. Over video call, she peered at me. “For a genius, you seem to lack understanding of modern technology.” She snorted. I laughed nervously. “Yeah, I guess so.” On her end, I heard someone yelling. She left the screen and paper fell to the ground. I heard her say a muffled ‘shit’ before picking it up and running to the door. She yelled through it in really fast Spanish. It was hard to understand. Something like ‘I’m busy’ flew out of her mouth. She turned to the camera. scowling. I was just doodling, waiting for her to come back so we could continue the questions when she plopped onto the bed. “Sorry.” She mumbled. I shook my head and grinned. “S’okay.” I replied. She picked up her phone, and her face disappeared, replaced by a gray screen that read “Marisa has paused video”. I tapped the screen. “What happened? Did I press something?” I was panicking. I really sucked at this. I heard her voice through my earbuds. “No, calm down. I just wanna listen to music. Give me a sec.” A familiar tune began to play from her end. Her face appeared. “There. See? I’m still here, and now you get to see my gorgeous face.” She laughed. My face grew hot. Dammit. I can’t even talk to her without blushing like a weirdo. I bit back the urge to say _‘yeah it really is gorgeous’._ That would seem creepy. Or would it be a respectable compliment? I was mentally debating what to say when she piped up. “Wait, so in number six, is there-” I cut her off without meaning to. “Yes there is supposed to be an answer in full form and a graph. But the graph we’re gonna do in class tomorrow.” She gave me an odd look. “I have a feeling you already did it, didn’t you?” I grinned sheepishly. “Oops.” “You smartie, you.” She rolled her eyes sarcastically. I looked into her eyes, and pictured that moment on the bleachers. Her arm wrapped around me, while her hand fit perfectly into mine, and her body moving along with my own in unison. My mind was filled with the feel, sound, smell, and memory of it. The enchanting melody of the song, and the sweetness of her voice took me over when I felt myself asking her a question. It was like an out-of-body experience. I wasn’t in control. I was gazing down upon myself when I heard the words dart out of my mouth. “Will you go out with me?” I instantly regretted it the second her face went impassive. No expression could be read. Suddenly, she broke out into laughter. “Oh, you’re serious! Ahaha, okay, yeah. Yeah, sure.” I let out a huge breath I didn’t even know I was holding. I chuckled softly, and started picking at a loose thread in the hem of my shirt. “So… Yeah.” I murmured, not knowing what to say. Marisa cleared her throat. “There’s a new taco place downtown… I dunno, maybe we could go there?” She suggested. I averted my eyes. “Yeah, okay. Sure. What about tomorrow night?” She nodded subtly. “That works. I’m a loser, I never have plans.” She said with a tiny smile. Her face lit up. A mischievous air was about her. “Hey, you know that Flash is having a party tonight?” I cocked my head, confused. What does this have to do with anything? I thought. She rubbed her hands together like an evil emperor. “We should go and crash it.” She grinned. I scoffed at her, and sank back into my pillows. “Naw. He’d probably strangle me.” “No he wouldn’t. He only hates you ‘cause he’s jealous, you know.” “Jealous,” I sniffed indignantly, “Sure.” “It’s true! You don’t believe me? Ask him!” “He wouldn’t tell me that even if I asked.” “You never know.” she made a face, scrunching her eyes shut and sticking her tongue out at me. “So… you don’t wanna go with me?” She asked, cleaning her nails. “Well, I mean… I dunno. I could…?” I squeaked. I’ve only ever been to one party, but that lasted less than a few minutes. I don’t know if I could explain it if I had to leave suddenly. I can’t just say ‘Oh, hey, I’m Spider-man,. I gotta go to work now, have fun at your party!’, right? I was caught between wanting to go and paranoia. Nothing would happen. I nodded and mumbled: “I guess so.” She pumped her fist in the air and stared at me. a spark danced in her eyes. “Consider this our unofficial first date.” She whispered through the mic in the phone. I laughed wholeheartedly, but I was sweating inside. As someone told me, you have to learn to fall before you learn to fly. How bad could it possibly get? 


	9. The Dreaded Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night finally gets interesting...

Marisa’s p.o.v

A date. We were going on a date. Tonight and tomorrow night. Two dates. Well technically tonight didn’t count… but I could still pretend it was. He asked me on a date. Why me? I wasn’t special at all…. Was I? We arrived at the party separately, so one of us was there before the other. But unfortunately, I got to the place first, cause he lived farther than me from Eugene’s house. The music poured out the open windows. The beat pounded in my head, and I felt the bass in the pit of my stomach. I saw Peter’s aunt’s car pull up into the driveway. at least, I thought it was his aunt’s car. I didn’t know. The cello version of Despacito came on and I squealed unintentionally as Peter ran up the front steps. He looked me over. “Wow, okay. I’m underdressed.” I snorted, “Naw you’re fine, I’m overdressed, trust me.” I was wearing that burgundy dress I was going to wear to my first official date with Eugene but gave up on. It was spaghetti strapped so it didn’t cover much at all. I wore heels, of course, cause I liked feeling tall and fancy. I linked my arm inside his, pulling him inside the open doors. the lights were almost blinding. They flashed to the rhythm. I made a lame joke about seizures, that I’m sure he didn’t hear, but that’s okay. I lost myself to the music. This was my place. My ‘scene’. I belonged in a crowd. I loved it, and the music loved me. The bassline thrummed inside me. Pulling Peter onto the floor, I started swaying at first, then I got confident, and we started doing lame dance moves together. We did the sprinkler, and I almost fell over, I was laughing so hard. It all crumbled apart when Eugene approached us.  
“And who said you were invited, Penis Parker?” he sneered. I raised a brow with a challenging glare. “I did.” “You, neither Princess. I revoked your invitation a long time ago.” I crossed my arms, raising my eyes to the ceiling in annoyance. “It’s an open party. Chill.” I scoffed at him. He didn’t take it so well, though. He glowered at me for what seemed like minutes. “What?” I asked finally. “I’m waiting for you to go.” I laughed my ass off at that. “You know what, we will.” I exchanged glances with Peter, who immediately averted his eyes and stared at his feet. He shoved his hands in his pockets. He ran one hand through his hair, chin still down. I grabbed his hand as soon as it fell to his side, and smiled sarcastically at Eugene. He just scowled. I flipped him off as we walked through the door. I peered at Peter’s face. He wasn’t really taking this too well. “Wow. We just got kicked out of a party.” He announced blandly. I laughed hysterically. “Yeah, I guess we did.” I gasped between giggles. “Hey, Pete?” “Yeah?” He looked up at me. “How do you feel about Tacos?” His face morphed into a grin. 

Peter’s p.o.v

Only with Marisa could I be found eating burritos and sipping on coke at just about midnight. We were sitting there for hours. It was quite the interesting date. First, we were kicked out of a party, then we were stuck on a metro that had broke down, and then, just when it could not get worse, it did. It started raining as soon as we stepped foot out of our trainy prison. When we got to the taco place, we were soaked. We tried futilely to dry ourselves with the small hand dryer in the family washroom. By the end of it all, Marisa and I were exhausted, so we just ordered some food and collapsed into a booth, laughing the whole time. “Well that was the most interesting date I’ve ever been on…” She stated. Without thinking, I burst out laughing. a wheezy laugh that took my breath out of my lungs. “Oh god,” I said, “I really am tired.” Marisa let out a small chuckle and she sighed. “May have been interesting, but it was by far the best unofficial date ever.” She grinned. “Was it really unofficial? Or can we make this our ‘first date’ since it's midnight and technically tomorrow already?” I grabbed my drink in one hand, and checked my phone in the other. It would be hard to leave, but it was late and aunt May had been spamming me. I took a lazy sip. “It's late… We probably should get going.” I rolled my neck around and stared at the ceiling. She exhaled slowly, letting out air through pursed lips. “Yeah I guess.” My whole body was sore, and I was struggling to stay awake. It had been a long night. A good one, but a long, tiring one. My sides were aching from laughing so hard, and my head was pounding with exhaustion. It was time to call it a night and go sleep. _Sleep was good, sleep was nice. I want to sleep._ I thought to myself. That was a good idea. 

Once we were out of the restaurant, and I dropped Marisa off, I walked up to her door with her, and the automatic porchlight came on. "So I guess this is the part where I say bye and go inside, right?" Marisa whispered. She was looking up at me. "Yeah, yeah I guess so." I replied, not taking my eyes off hers. She glanced down at her shoes, then back up to my face. "Um, yeah. Thanks for tonight. That was fun." She broke out into a grin. A smile tugged at the corners of my lips. _Wow._ I was seized with the urge to just grab her and kiss her, but that's generally not what a nice person does. And also, she probably doesn't want me to anyways. It was just a date, right? Nothing more. And I wasn't even sure if I was going to be seeing her again tomorrow. So I couldn't get my hopes up cause I may be moving way too fast. We only just met five days ago. And she hasn't even been single for two days. I'm almost positive that she would be offended if I did that. Maybe she's not over Flash yet. As I was in my own little bubble of awkward silentness, she reached over to me, and wrapped her arms around my neck, and buried her face in my shoulder. _Hugs, hugs were good. Hugs are nice._ I squeezed her back gently, and she pulled away and opened her front door. "We're still on for tomorrow, right?" I nodded, and smiled. I guess I'd have to wait and find out what'll happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter I have already written so you guys may have to wait a little longer for the rest... Cause it hasn't been thought up yet... oopsie...


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